This invention relates to an apparatus for controlling the carbonation of beverages obtained from drink dispensing machines. Beverages are formed in a beverage dispenser by mixing carbonated water from a single source with the syrup of the different brands. Most standard soft-drink brands require a carbonator producing carbonated water with a concentration of carbon dioxide higher than that required for fruit juice based beverages. These low carbonation brands must be supplied with their own carbonators or else use the stronger carbonator of the standard brands. Similarly, the standard carbonator itself must be replaced where local tastes favor a lower degree of carbonation in all beverages.
While the need for a means of controlling the degree of carbonation in beverage dispensers to accommodate different beverages and tastes is significant, prior beverage dispensers are unable to perform this function. The beverage dispensers commonly found in public restaurants, cafeterias, snack bars, etc., generally mix carbonated water from a single source with a different brand of syrup inside the nozzle of each dispenser head. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,335, issued to Alfred A. Schroeder, on July 1, 1975. Basically, the syrup and carbonated water lines emanate from sources exterior to the dispenser and are cooled in the interior prior to terminating in the nozzle. A separate line is dedicated for each of the different brand syrups while a single carbonated water line is split by couplings to connect to each one of the dispenser heads. Thus, whatever level of carbonation is chosen, it is applied uniformly to all of the different dispensed beverages. There exists a need, therefore, for a beverage dispenser permitting the carbonation levels of the carbonated water supplied for each beverage to be individually adjusted.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for supplying carbonated water to a beverage dispenser mixing nozzle at an adjusted carbonation level.